


From Russia with love

by PoemAboutCitylights



Category: Football RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 19:02:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14677485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoemAboutCitylights/pseuds/PoemAboutCitylights
Summary: The announcement of the German National Team for Russia brings up relief, hidden feelings and realizations.Especially for one Marco Reus.





	From Russia with love

**Author's Note:**

> So I have been reading shit-tons of football fics lately and so I just HAD to write something myself.  
> This is my first football fanfic, so I'd appreciate your feedback.  
> Now I hope you'll enjoy this!

Marco was amongst those that got a call from Jogi the evening before the official press release, telling him that he would indeed be a part of the preliminary squad for Russia.  
Despite having expected so, Marco had felt a wave of relief crashing over him, as he had missed pretty much every big tournament those last years due to his injuries.  
But this time, this year, it would be payback time.  
Fuck you, karma.

However, the second that Jogi hung up on him, another thought bubbled up and Marco sat down on the couch of his living room in Dortmund with concern.  
 _Mario_.  
Jogi hadn't said anything about him to Marco but then again, why would he?  
It wasn't like the national coach cared that they were best friends, after all.  
Had Mario gotten his call yet?  
Or was he still waiting, digging the nails of his fingers deep into his palms?  
Marco shot the clock on the wall a look.  
No, the smaller player was probably on his evening run right now, as Marco had memorized his work out schedule by heart.

Gosh, how he hoped that Mario would be part of the team as well, in case both of them would make it through the training camp the upcoming week.  
But Marco was rather positive about that, as Jogi had hinted several times already that he wasn't planning on missing out on Marco another time.  
The Dortmund player felt flattered by that but where would be the point in going to Russia without his best friend?  
Well, that might sound a little melodramatic, Marco had to admit, but he was just so glad to have Mario back with him in Dortmund after his time with Bayern that he didn't even want to imagine having to play without the smaller one around.

He had once had to live through a time where he'd take a ball, expecting that Mario or Lewa would he there to score, turning Marco's passes into goals, while actually the both of them had been off to Bayern, leaving Marco in a state of frustration.  
He had fallen into a routine with Mario lately and they would make a great team in Russia, he was sure of that.  
Jogi had to take Mario along.  
He simply had to.  
Otherwise...

But before Marco could finish that thought, his phone buzzed in his hand.  
 _Mario_?  
He took the call without bothering to glance at the screen and therefore was surprised when it wasn't the short midfield player but Mats, letting out a noise that sounded as if he was strangled.  
"Mats?" Marco asked.

"Marcooo," the defender drawled and the blond frowned, clutching his phone a little tighter.  
"Mats?" he asked again and a deep sigh was the only response he got.  
"Are you drunk?"

A hiccup was coming from the other end of the line and Marco pulled a disgusted face, bringing some distance between his ear and the speaker.  
Mats sighed one again, a drooling sound that nothing was graceful about, and then a blustering noise could be heard, as if the older one was falling down some stairs.  
"Mats!" Marco called, genuinely worried about his friend this time.

"Whoops," Mats said and the Dortmund player could basically see his apologetic smile, the one that usually let his friend get away with anything.  
"So I might be a tiny little tipsy," Mats breathed out and another hiccup seemed to shake his chest.  
"You okay? Didn't you get a call?"  
"No, yes, all cool. I'm on board, of course I am, who in their right mind would do without me?"   
Marco silently rolled his eyes.  
"Then what is this about? Are you guys still celebrating the nationals?"   
_Bavarians_ , Marco thought and snorted.  
"Nooo," Mats whined and sounded like a kicked puppy, wincing in pain.  
"Benni isn't on the team."  
"What?!"  
"Unbelievable, isn't it?" Mats mourned and whined some more, while Marco eyed the clock above his TV in disbelief.

"Wait a second, Mats," he interrupted the other player and Mats actually shut up immediately.  
"You're getting so worked up over Benni not being on the team? Didn't you say that, quote _I really hope I don't have to see your ugly face in Russia_ unquote, the last time we saw him?"  
Mats winced, a sound that could literally break hearts.  
"Yeah, that's what I said."  
"Oh my God, Mats, don't tell me you've fallen in love with this idiot?" Marco gaped into his phone, scratching the back of his neck.

"No, wait," Marco said before Mats could answer his question, "it actually suits you well, cause you're _both_ fucking idiots. A friends with benefit arrangement? Everyone told you that would fire back some day."  
"Oh, shut up, Reus. You're one to talk."  
"I didn't sleep around with my best friend!"  
"Oh come on, you'd be on your knees in seconds if Mario only asked you to."  
Marco gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes.  
"I'm _not_ in love with him."  
"Mhhh..." Mats made and Marco could basically hear his eye roll, "and I'm a 5/10."

"You're not nearly as attractive as you think you are!" Marco growled and kicked a cushion that fell off the couch.  
"Sorry that I don't really care about the opinion of someone that thinks Mario Götze is the hottest stuff to ever walk onto a football field."  
"I never said that!"  
Mats chuckled deeply, "You don't have to, Marco."  
"Argh! Why are you even calling me?"  
"Because of Benni," Mats answered and was back to kicked-puppy-mode within the blink of an eye.

"The only reason you're sad about it is that you won't get to blame him for everything that's wrong in the world."  
Mats drew in a sharp breath and Marco couldn't tell whether his dramatic sigh was fake or not.  
"You'll understand what true love is about once you're my age, young grasshopper."  
"I'm just a few months younger than you! Cut the bullshit, Mats! So now you're in love with Benni? You sure about that? Because the last time I saw you two together, basically _any_   _time_  I see you together, you're trying to strangle him."  
Mats growled and huffed.  
"Remember when you were convinced you were in love with Jogi? Or Miro? Or PEP?"  
"Hey, I clearly had a few drinks too much back then and Jogi WAS wearing these tight jeans and-..."  
"Too much information!" Marco shouted and much to his relief, Mats shut up immediately.  
"But Benni is different!" he eventually called and Marco rolled his eyes.  
Those two would be the end of him.

But before he could talk some sense into his friend, his phone buzzed again, telling him that another call was coming in.  
"It's Mario! I'll call you back!"  
Marco ended the call without waiting for Mats' response and took the call.  
"Sunny?"  
The other end of the line was quiet, so quiet that Marco checked the screen to see whether the call was still on, but then a shaky breath was reaching his ear and his heart dropped immediately, the quarrel with Mats forgotten immediately.  
"Sunny?" he asked, worry taking over his senses, "Mario, you okay?"

"No."  
The reply was barely more than a whisper, his best friend's voice shaky and wrecked, as if he had been crying, which the short one probably still was and the realization of what must have happened literally knocked the oxygen out of Marco's lungs.  
"Did Jogi call you?" Marco heard himself ask, his voice flat and monotone, his mind blank.  
Mario made a noise that sounded like YES and Marco had to close his eyes, would have had to sit down if he hadn't been doing so already and his limps suddenly felt heavy, his tongue too weighty to form actual words.  
"I'm not... I'm not..." Mario started but his voice broke away twice and then the small player seemed to give up, falling silent once again.  
And Marco didn't know what to say either because there wasn't anything he could say that would make Mario feel better.  
 _Been there, done that._  
He remembered how Mats had felt about Benni not being on the team and Marco's throat tightened while his heartbeat picked up speed, making him swallow hard.

Images start spreading on his mind, him and the guys in Russia, preparing for a match, Marco turning around to pull Mario in for a motivational hug, only to find the room empty of his best friend.  
Him, sharing a room with Mats or - God forbid - Thomas.  
Training without Mario's silly jokes, breakfast without his weird muesli habits, no arguments about the choice of music, none of Mario's clothes spread across their shared room.

It made him choke on his own breath, while he heard Mats' amused _told you_ in the back of his head and Marco really wasn't proud of his next action but his body seemed to reply on instincts alone, so he hung up on Mario without another word and stared down at the phone in his lap with wide eyes.

He wasn't in love with his best friend.  
That couldn't be.  
He wasn't even gay, for fucks sake.

When his phone rang, he was half hoping that it was Mario, calling him right out on his bullshit, but Mats' name lit up on the screen and Marco took the call with a heavy heart.  
"I fucked up, Mats," he started before the older one could say anything.  
"I fucked up big times."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos/comment and I'll love you forever!  
> ;)


End file.
